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Benbulbin, with its limestone escarpment resembling the prow of a ship, is one of the most recognisable Irish mountains. It is also steeped in legend. It takes its name from Conall Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine hostages, who was fostered here. Fionn Mac Cumhaill finds his son Oisín naked under a rowan tree on Benbulben, having not seen him for seven years. It is also the spot where Diarmuid Ó Duibhne is finally killed by a boar, after he and Gráinne have been pursued for many years throughout Ireland by Fionn. Sometimes spelt Benbulben.
Benbulbin is the 483rd highest place in Ireland. Benbulbin is the most westerly summit in the Dartry Mountains area. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/?PHPSESSID=vgf084bf32v31jep1m8r1obsi1

Benbulbin 05-09-2005, Ordnance Survey Map Discovery Serie’s 16 -
We followed the route Emchugh recommended and first, I must say thanks to him here for his accurate detailed info. We waited for a clear day and on that particular morning, from Skreen, close to Donegal Town where we rented us a self catering cottage, for the first time I noticed Benbulbin outlined on the horizon from the kitchen window, and a few hours later as we drove up we where happy to see that the mountain was completely visible, no clouds or fog hiding its top away as it was the previous days when we checked up on him. Emshugh route is an easy way up (almost too easy after Binmore-Groaghgorm a few days before), you just follow the stream upwards (thats the only climbing part) until you get to its well, and then onwards on a grassy slope upwards towards a beautiful huge plateau (like a meadow in the sky, goats included)… A point of interest here, if you keep sideways on the left towards Ben Bulbin instead of going completely up the slope directly, then you will find a nice little cave you might like to explore… after doing so I went into the meadow and headed straightforward towards the cliff face of Bulbin… We had fantastic views of Slieve League, over Drumcliff Bay and Sligo Harbour up to Knocknarea (even queen Meave’s cairn was visible) and the Ox mountains to highlight a few points of interest. High clouds drifting by made for an ever color changing pattern on the slopes of BenWiskin across the valley… Wish I could include more than one picture, but as most folk share view pictures, I will limit myself to using a detail picture… As with everything, beauty is sometimes in the small things around you… So here’s what gives Benbulbin his typical look when you see him frontal from the N56… By its easiness and the grand view rewards, this is definably the mountain to climb if you are unsure but want to give hill walking a try (or by lack of more time)… It all depends on how long you linger above, but starting out from the place Emchugh recommends to leave your car, to the top and back it’s a under 4 hour walk on a bright sunny afternoon … Highly recommended… Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/comment/1958/

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Picture from kernowclimber : The fantastical cliffs of Benbulbin

Picture: The fantastical cliffs of Benbulbin

A teenager’s awakening on Benbulbin…

by kernowclimber 6 May 2010

The unimaginable happened this weekend. Curiosity stirred by photos and accounts of our recent walks finally won over my teenage daughter, who announced that she wanted to see what all this hill walking malarkey was about. Praying for sunshine, we chose Benbulbin as a suitable challenge for an unfit, inexperienced teenager, hoping that the limestone topography might inspire her to greater heights in her geography Leaving Cert!

As we approached the towering, deeply scoured walls of the Benbulbin massif from the Mullaghnaneane Crossroads, she announced that they resembled the knuckles of a clenched fist and looked about as welcoming! We parked the car at G70300 46791A just across a small concrete bridge then picked our way across a flat boggy area once cut for turf, heading for a waterfall tumbling down from the lowest point of the plateau above. Climbing steeply upwards alongside the waterfall to the incessant trilling of a skylark and amid mutterings such as “I can’t believe you two do this for fun”, clumps of greenery and rocks she would usually trample underfoot suddenly became of infinite interest, a good excuse to pause for breath. We photographed the Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage, Hares-tail Cottongrass, Common Dog-violet and excellent examples of crinoid fossils in the limestone.

Once on the plateau we headed towards Kings Mountain, a truncated version of Devils Tower in Wyoming, past what she correctly identified as swallow holes, and through a mazy run of eroded peat hags, to race up the slopes to the summit. The views towards Lough Gill, Sligo Town, the Ox Mountains and distant Nephin Begs are enchanting, but she was equally engrossed by our debate about the accuracies of the summit co-ordinates as the GPS and OS map did not seem to agree: parental infallibility, she always knew this was a lie!!

Descending, we struck out across undulating ground towards Benbulbin Head, a promontory of rock that resembles the prow of a great battleship ploughing hard into the oceanic realms of the setting sun. Even my sandwiches, crusts and all, were as delicious as the landscape here in Yeats Country. Poetry flowed spontaneously from lips more accustomed to rap and hip hop…

And so on to the summit of Benbulbin, traversing the tops of cliffs offering stomach churning views down precipitous gullies. OS pillar kissed and summit bagged, we bore SE to descend steep ground at G69554 46256B above the Glendarragh Valley. Emboldened by her day’s achievements, my teenage couch potato became a gazelle, bounding over the little terraces created by soil creep to beat me to the bottom where we picked up a rough track leading back to the car. Her beaming smile at my endorsement of her first 10km walk will linger in my mind hopefully as long as her memory of the cliffs of Benbulbin; no longer a clenched fist, but transformed into a giant mammoth’s tooth, fantastical, ancient and mysterious in the fading sun. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/comment/4680/

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Dan on Benbulbin, 2010

by Dan 1 Feb 2010

The two routes that I have used when going up benbulben are using the path starting at G684 451C and if you're up for a longer walk using another path beginning at G704 426D. Theres no problem with access here, but I'm not too sure about approaching from the north side. The summit itself is fairly featureless, but the reward here is to head north from the trig point until you meet the cliffs, then follow them west right to the western tip of the plateau. The cliffs are impressive and the view is great.
Updated - It is also possible to approach the mountain from the north side. There are a lot of cliffs on the north side of the mountain, but if you head to the east side of the these cliffs, the mountain can be climbed from there. It is much steeper here than on the south side, so is more demanding, but at the same time, much more rewarding. Take the road into the valley from Grange, and park at the end of the road and walk from here. If it's snowy, this is the best side to climb, as it is in shade all winter, and the snow will last much longer here than on the south facing slope Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/comment/1286/

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Picture from gerrym : Benbulbin from across Glendarrgh on Benwhisken

Picture: Benbulbin from across Glendarrgh on Benwhisken

gerrym on Benbulbin, 2008

by gerrym 9 Aug 2008

This is a rather lengthy way to reach the top of Benbulben (8.5 miles and 4 hours)but one which should be seriously considered. A more scenic beginning, at Glencar Lough, would be hard to find and from here there is the aforementioned 8 .5 miles of walking along hills and cliffs above the beautifully crafted valley of Glencar. Park beside the lough (758437E) and take a road up through the forest to the hilltops high above the lough. It is then a case of following the highs and lows above Glencar for 6.5 miles to the top of Kings Mountain.

This brings the first views of Benbulben and they are well worth the wait - the crumpled sheer drops and then curving green slopes bringing a strangely femine allure, sexy even. There follows a up to and along the ridge to the summit area. This was pleasant in evening sunshine, with bees busy in the heather. Views to the N soon appear - Donegal Bay, Slieve League, the Bluestacks and the Derryveaghs. The Glendarragh valley to the NE had rows of white peat bags laid out in rows like those war graves in the WW1battlefields in France, beyond the ridge of Benwhisken rose and ended abruptly like the deck of an aircraft carrier.

To be honest the summit disappoints, being bare and damp with a forlorn looking trig pillar. It is a good thing then that the views are fantastic. I could see Sligo Bay and city to the S and a line of hills from the Ox Mtns to Nephin, the Nephin Begs and Slieve More and Croaghaun on Achill. Out W the whole Atlantic was before me, with the late sunshine pushing shards of light towards land. Across Donegal Bay a large trawler was lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree just off Killybegs harbour. A cracking hill to look at and a cracking hill to look from (we'll just not mention the unspectacular top). Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/comment/3265/

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Picture from Geo : Trig Point

Picture: Trig Point

Geo on Benbulbin, 2009

by Geo 31 May 2009

Climbed on Tuesday 26th May 09. Followed emchugh's route from the water works road, without any difficulty and thanks to him for his excellent directions. At the end of the roadway, where it peters out before crossing the bog, the temptation is to make straight for the gully taking the stream down off the mountain ahead. From experience it might be better to aim slightly left as you cross the bog and follow the sheep farmer's Quad tracks if you want to keep your feet dry! Anyway, the bog is only a few minutes long and before you know it you'll be climbing up along the river and unable to tear your eyes form the view behind, which only gets better as you climb. If its a good day like we had, you'll kick yourself if you don't have a camera. The views of the cliffs, the sea, the South Donegal coast, all magnificent. When up on the plateau, we turned right and followed our noses up and over the little hill, then along a grassy pasture and further onto the trig point of Benbulbin, a trig point partially obscured by peat hags and not easy to see in mist I'll bet. From here we ventured further out to the "nose" of the massif at Theebaun as it's called on the 1:50,000 OSI at G 68304 46215F. The panorama here will not disappoint, I can assure you of that, unless you have had your emotions surgically removed! We had lunch on a cliff edge rock and then returned to the trig point, where we decided to go on to King's Mountain. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/comment/3787/

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Geronimo on Benbulbin, 2009

by Geronimo 8 Oct 2009

The Sligo Champion of September 22nd 2009 reports a stand-off between landowner Bull McSharry and wlakers on Benbulben has been resolved. I am sure walkers will give a huge sigh of relief after 17 years of confrontation. What a shame it's not Spring. Geronimo.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hills-alive-as-17year-walker-row-resolved-1892640G.html Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/402/comment/4192/